A Hyrulian Folk Tale
by Midnax
Summary: The childhood friend. The singing farm girl. The maiden Princess. Is there no one in all of Hyrule that could genuinely love Link? I'm not specifying the pairing to leave it a surprise. Ocarina of Time Fic. Rated T just in case.


A/N: Bonjour, Lovelies! Say hello to my new baby! Yes, I mean this story. I'm pretty proud of it. It was really hard to write. I wrote this story very differently than anything else I've ever -and probably ever will- write. It's called what it's called because I wanted it to sound like a fairy tale or an old legendy folk tale: relatively basic sentence structure, minimal pronouns, no contractions, and just the way it's written really feels like "Olde Age" type stuff. To me anyways. Sooo that's why it was hard for me to write. This is that one I was talking about in one of my other stories, if anyone was wondering.

If you read the description, you'll know that I left the pairing secret, so you won't figure out who wins Linky's heart til you get to that part. Please, I'm begging you, don't skip ahead. That kills it, and everytime someone skips ahead, Hylia kills a Remlit. So spare the cute little Remlits, please! Who do you think it'll be? Can you guess right? Also, this story's rated T for a kiss at the end. Saucey, huh?

Words I like in this story: "forthright," "veneration," and "atrium." I just pointed that out for the heck of it.

Hopefully you all like it, I'm very proud of it. I only like flames if it's constructive criticism. Tell me what you think! You must be this tall to ENJOY! Midna loves thee!

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"A Hyrulian Folk Tale"

Once upon a time there was a young man named Link. Link wore a green tunic, and wielded the blade of evil's bane, the legendary Master Sword. Link was a destined hero, brave, kind, and true. Time after time, Link had saved the land of Hyrule from evil and destruction. Link was a legend amongst men, and his name and courageous deeds to the land would be passed down through generations.

None of this mattered to Link. Link did not want all the glory and admiration of being Hyrule's hero. No, Link was a quiet and reserved young man, who wished to live a humble life. Link would not accept, nor could he wish for the fame and praise and treasure that the Hylians had graciously offered him. Link kindly refused the glorious gifts, insisting that all he could ever want in his life was his peaceful home by the forest.

But Link did in fact want something more. There was something that Link wanted more than all of the emeralds and rubies and sapphires in all of Hyrule. Link was lonely, and wished for a lover. What Link wanted was a lover to cherish and share his life with. Link wanted someone who did not love him for his heroic status, but for his kind heart, his warm embrace, and his pure mind. Link did not know if such a person was genuine, but he would not give up until he found them.

Link set out from his home by the forest, determined to find his lover. Link soon found his close friend from his childhood, a young girl named Saria. Her garb and hair matched the leaves of the forest in which she lived, her eyes the color of the deep sky. Saria was a rather pretty girl. Link wondered if she could be his lover. Link and Saria had always been friends. Link stepped into Saria's familiar home, hidden by the trees, knowing he was always welcome. Saria greeted Link with a warm smile, inviting him inside.

"Saria, could you be my lover?" Link asked Saria. Saria's deep blue eyes regarded Link with puzzlement. Never had Link asked Saria such a forthright question. Saria wondered what had brought upon Link's inquiry so abruptly. Saria shook her head gently with a soft smile on her face.

"Link, I do not think that I could be your lover, I am afraid. You and I have been friends for far too long. I am deeply sorry, Link." Saria bowed to Link in apology. Saria did feel very sorry for Link. Saria knew that Link, her dearest friend, wished for love. Saria assumed that Link must have been very lonely, being Hyrule's hero. It was only natural, in Saria's mind, that Link would look for love in his closest friend. But, sadly, Saria could not love Link, for their friendship was much too deep.

Link smiled and nodded his head politely. "Please, Saria, there is no need to apologize. I cherish our friendship. I would not want to damage it over such a trivial matter, as I imagine you would not either. Now if you do not mind, I do need to be on my way. Good bye." Link showed himself out of Saria's home. Saria waved her goodbye from her hidden home's window.

Making his way into the open field of Hyrule, Link wondered who could love him. Link looked out into the distance, seeing the walls of Lon Lon Ranch. The daughter of the owner of Lon Lon Ranch was a young, pretty woman named Malon. Malon had hair the color of the setting sun, she loved all of Lon Lon Ranch's horses, and had a lovely singing voice. When Link had met her, Malon had been so kind to him, always greeting him with a bright smile on her face. Perhaps, Link thought, Malon could be his lover.

In the far corner of his eye, Link caught a trace of movement. Turning to see what had moved, Link only saw a short, scrubby bush. "Show yourself," Link called to the figure he knew was hiding behind the bush. Link saw a young man emerge, clothed in a garb the color of the deep midday sky. Wheat locks and a colorless cowl shrouded the young man's face, leaving only one blood red eye visible. The young man stepped in front of the small shrub and bowed deeply before Link.

"I give you my most sincere apologies, young Hero of Legend. Please do not be alarmed by my presence. I am but a Shadow, watching over Hyrule's savior." The young man addressed Link with reverence and veneration. Link took a step forward, relaxing his shoulders, and allowing the young man to straighten from his bowing stance.

"Shall I call you Shadow, then? I wish to know the name of my guardian, and thank him for watching over me. And please, I am just Link. I do not need such high regard." Link gave the young man a friendly smile.

"Understood, humble Master Link. If you wish to know my name, it is Sheik. I am of the Sheikah Tribe, a people destined to guard the land's Royal Family. We watch from the shadows, unseen by the enemy. When those we protect are endangered, we defend their lives with our own. It is my proud duty to watch over and protect you, Master Link. I humbly accept your gratitude." The young man named Sheik again bowed deeply.

"Sheik." Link repeated the young man's name. Link looked to Lon Lon Ranch once more. "I apologize for shortening our first meeting, although I must be on my way. I need to make my way to Lon Lon Ranch to visit Malon. It was a great pleasure to have met you, Sheik. May we meet again." Link bowed politely to his newly made friend, and went once again on his way to Lon Lon Ranch.

Link followed the trail and promptly entered Lon Lon Ranch. The familiar sounds of nickering horses and clucking Cuccos filled Link's ears. Link made his way into the stables at the far back of Lon Lon Ranch in search of Malon. Link found Malon sitting on a stack of hay singing softly to the horses. The light caught Malon's fiery tresses, making them glow like embers. Malon looked up, smiled at Link and jumped off the stack of hay. "Link! What brings you here?" Malon embraced Link, still smiling. Link embraced Malon back warmly.

"Hello, Malon. I came here to ask you a question. Do you think you could be my lover?" Link wasted no time in asking, feeling mixed emotions about the answer Malon could give. Link wondered if Malon could love him for his heart, and not his heroic past. Malon worried her bottom lip while she contemplated her answer.

"You're asking me to be your lover?" Link nodded to Malon's question. "You and I are great friends; perhaps you and I could be lovers. And it would be splendid to be the legendary Hero's lover!" Malon's smile stretched across her face from ear to ear. But Link's brow was furrowed in worry. A lover who craved to share the Hero's glory was not what Link wanted.

"Wait, Malon. This is not what I want. You love Link the Hero, not Link the man. I am afraid I have to change my mind and say that you cannot be my lover. Of course we can still remain friends, though. I am dearly sorry, Malon." Malon frowned and focused her gaze on the hay covered floor. Link attempted to reassure Malon with a friendly embrace and apologized once more. Malon shook her head and looked at Link, mixed tears in her deep cobalt eyes.

"No, it is quite alright, Link. I am the one who should apologize. It would not be fair to you to not have someone who truly loved you. I sincerely hope that you find a lover that wholeheartedly deserves you." Malon embraced her friend back.

"Thank you, Malon." Pulling away from his dear friend, he made his way to the stable's door. "If you do not mind, I believe I must be on my way now. Good bye, Malon." With a smile and a wave, Link departed the familiar Lon Lon Ranch. Link leaned against the outer wall of Lon Lon Ranch and sank down into a sitting position. Link drew his knees to his chest and looked out into Hyrule's tranquil scenery. Link sighed, and wondered where he could go next to seek his lover.

"Master Link." Link did not startle at the voice that sounded to his left, for he recognized it. Link looked to his left and there sat a young man dressed in sky colored garb. One blood red eye pierced through his fair locks, the only visible feature of his cowl hidden face. Link smiled at his newest friend.

"Sheik. I would not have expected to see you. I all but forgot that you were my shadow guardian." Sheik was sitting against the Lon Lon Ranch wall with his legs crossed and his bandaged hands on his knees. Link saw Sheik smile, not from the upward curve of his lips, but from the sudden crinkle in the corner of his visible eye.

"Then that simply means I am fulfilling the proud duty of my people. Tell me, Master Link. Have you had any luck in your quest?" Link glanced at the verdant ground in front of him and shook his head. "Ah, that is most unfortunate. Do not fret, Master Link. Your lover will be revealed in due time." Sheik's calm, knowing words reassured the worried Link.

"Thank you, Sheik." It was Link's only response to Sheik. He looked ahead, to the north, and his gaze fell upon the elegant towers of Hyrule Castle. The proud royal flags atop the spires fluttered in the slight western wind. Deep within Hyrule Castle was a fair and beautiful princess. Her name was Zelda, and she and Link shared a friendship intertwined by fate. In Link's heroic past, he had rescued her from the very clutches of evil. Perhaps, Link thought, Zelda could love him.

Link bid his friend Sheik farewell and went on his way to Hyrule Castle. Link walked past the drawbridge and through the bustling Hyrule Castle Town Market. Link made his way to the gated entrance of Hyrule Castle and past the Royal Guards. Walking through the Gardens, he found the atrium where Princess Zelda spent her afternoons.

Princess Zelda turned around at the sound of Link's booted footsteps and grinned at him. Her fair, flowing locks waved in the warm afternoon breeze. Zelda smiled at her old friend and greeted him cordially. "Link, welcome! What brings you here to Hyrule Castle?"

"Good afternoon, Princess. I was wondering… could you, by chance, be my lover?" Link asked without hesitation. Link waited apprehensively for Zelda's answer, staring at the lush ground, rather than the Princess' fair face.

"Link… My dear friend Link, it is sweet that you think you and I could be lovers. But I am a Princess. And you are from the forest. Being of royal blood, I have been prearranged by my family to love another. A Prince, also of royal blood. You see, Link, it is most unfortunately not possible for you and I to be lovers. It is against the law of the Hyrulian Royal Family. I give you my deepest apologies, Link. I hope this does not falter our valuable friendship."

Link shook his head politely. If he were to be honest with himself, Link was nearly anticipating such an answer. "Do not fret, Princess, we are still friends, it is quite alright. I completely understand, of course." Link took Zelda's delicate hand and held it softly, assuring the beautiful Princess. "That is all I came to ask, though. I will be on my way. Thank you very dearly for your time, Princess." Link bowed to Zelda and was on his way out of Hyrule Castle.

Standing in the vast Hyrule Field, Link sighed. Who else could be Link's lover? Not Saria, the childhood friend. Not Malon, the singing farm girl. And not Zelda, the maiden Princess. Is there no one in all of Hyrule that could genuinely love Link? Running a hand through his fair hair, the discouraged Link decided to make his way back to his forest home to resume his quiet life.

Entering the familiar forest, Link did not acknowledge Saria when she called to him. Link climbed up the ladder that lead to his humble home. Link sat on his small bed and laid his head in his hands. "I suppose I shall live alone for the rest of my life." Link tried to reassure himself, but to no avail.

"Master Link." The familiar voice that Link recognized only too easily sounded from in front of him. Link looked up, hair shrouding his tired face, to see the cerulean garbed young man with the piercing blood red eyes. Sheik stood in Link's doorway with his lean arms crossed over his chest. Sheik's golden hair shone in the gleaming forest sun, swaying in the moist forest draft. Link found himself smiling at Sheik's warm presence.

"Sheik. Need I remind you that my name is Link? I do not need such high regard. You and I are equals; I am not your Master by any means." Link looked at his courteous friend with a good natured smile. Sheik bowed apologetically and Link continued. "I'm sorry, Sheik, please come in. How come you are not watching me from the shadows?"

Sheik walked through the doorway and crouched down in front of Link, meeting the hero's sorrowful eyes. "It seems to me that you were… unsuccessful with Princess Zelda, and you are saddened by that. As your friend, I merely thought I would come to your forest home to comfort you." Link allowed space on his modest bed for Sheik to sit by his side. Sheik graciously sat on the bed and placed his arm across Link's shoulders.

Link leaned into Sheik's embrace and allowed himself to let out a sigh. "The Hyrulian legends all tell of the Chosen Hero, that once his destiny has been fulfilled he lives happily ever after with a beautiful young maiden. I am forced to wonder if I am not the Chosen Hero, if my destiny was but a fluke." Link paused. "A lover is all that I wish for… Is there something I am failing to understand?" Link released his depression to the patiently listening Sheik.

"If I may offer my opinion, Link, you are different than the other Heroes of legend. You heart is kind, your mind is pure, and you are a wholeheartedly warm person. The other Heroes did not hold their friends dear as you do, nor were they humble enough to deny the praise and celebration befitting their valiant deeds. Who is to say that your legend cannot be different as well?" Sheik did his best to soothe Link's worries.

"What do you mean, Sheik? Are you implying that I am not destined to spend my life with a beautiful young maiden? That I do not get my wish?" Link looked at Sheik's hidden face, trying to read his expression. There was something in Sheik's blood red eyes that could not quite be placed.

"Link, you are more than worthy to spend your life with someone who loves you dearly." Sheik's voice was heavy with significance, eyes unblinking. Link furrowed his brow in confusion. Sheik was speaking in riddles.

"Someone who loves me dearly…?" Link looked into Sheik's deep crimson eyes, and his lips turned upward in realization. The corners of Sheik's eyes crinkled in a smile. Link felt his shoulders relax as he rested his forehead against Sheik's. "'Your lover will be revealed in due time,' you said. I should have known." Link repeated the words that Sheik had so confidently told him, his smile still prominent, taking in their meaning at last.

Sheik lifted Link's chin with a finger, looking into the Hero's expressive azure eyes. Link reached up with a hesitant hand and removed the cowl that concealed Sheik's face. Sheik's angular features were striking to Link, and the Sheikah's full lips parted to speak.

"To all of Hyrule, you are the legendary Hero, whose very fate is to save the land when evil threatens it. You are courageous and do not falter when danger confronts itself. But to me, you are Link. You are a caring and kind man, with a warm and loving heart. You have been faced with many hardships, and what you deserve more than anything else is someone that sincerely loves you." Sheik paused, looking down tentatively before continuing. "If I may ask… could I be your lover, Link?"

"Sheik…" It came out as a choked whisper. Link's sapphire eyes shone with blissful tears, never breaking gaze with Sheik's ruby eyes. Link's arms wove around Sheik's lean frame. A single euphoric tear escaped Link's eye, and rested on his pale cheek. "Nothing in this world would make me happier, Sheik."

Sheik's lips widened into a smile full of happiness, letting his body relax at last. Sheik's calloused hand found Link's cheek, gently brushing the tear away with his bandaged thumb. Sheik looked tentatively into Link's sky colored eyes before speaking.

"Link, from the time when I first saw you, the day I was chosen to protect you, I have desired something from you. Something very special. May I fulfill my desire?" Link nodded a single time in response. Taking a sole calming breath, Sheik kept his hand on Link's soft cheek, and the other rested behind the Hero's back. Sheik leaned forward and met Link's lips with his own. The kiss was the most gentle of contacts, expressing the affection between the Hero and the Sheikah.

Link and Sheik parted from the kiss. Link took Sheik's hand and stood up from his little bed, embracing the fair haired Sheikah. Pulling away, Link looked into Sheik's warm crimson eyes. "Sheik… Thank you." Sheik's only response was a kind smile, the captivating crinkle evident in the corner of his blood red eyes.

Link was Hyrule's legendary Hero, who wished for a quiet life with the one he loved. Sheik was Link's guardian, meant to watch him from the shadows. Sheik protected Link, growing to care deeply for the kind young man. Link, while on a quest for a lover, befriended the Sheikah. After the friend, the farm girl, and the Princess would not return his love, Link soon realized that he was overlooking the Shadow with blood red eyes. Link's wish came true, and Sheik was able to share that wish with him. And so Link and Sheik lived happily ever after together.

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A/N: Did any of you guess right? Were you expecting that it would be who it was? I would actually like to know! Message me with who you guessed. And don't lie! Also, just because it's bothering me, did anybody guess that the "childhood friend," the "singing farm girl," and the "maiden Princess" were Saria, Malon and Zelda respectively before reading this? Being the one that wrote it, it was pretty obvious to me.

Did you like the writing style? Hopefully, because it was really hard. I couldn't use certain words, and had to phrase things a certain way. Did I pull it off?

Please review. I know most of you don't, and I didn't used to, but once I wrote stories and got reviews from people and I was just like *-insert retarded awestruck face that shows that my heart is filled with rainbows here-* So now I do. So you should too! Fill my heart with rainbows! Also reviews can be broken down into carrots to feed Epona. By the way, where was she in this story? I guess Ingo was, uh, "babysitting" her (by that I mean won't let me have MY damn horse). Yea, that's it. Uh huh...

Anyways, please review, comment, constructively criticize, threaten, worship, offer ideas, anything. I like whatever. Thank you, all. Miss Midna loveses you with all three of her hearts! (*-ahem-* See what I did there?)


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